Fighting Fate
by JadedFox
Summary: Seventh year has finally arrived, along with drastic changes and chaos in the Ministry. The Daily Prophet teems with articles foreboding the future of the wizarding world. Nevertheless, life goes on for two not so ordinary teens. Who will win?


Harry Potter Fanfic 

_By_ F**o**x **B**r**i**t**t** _and_ **I**s**a**b**e**l**l**e **F**l**o**r**e**s

-- All lyrics and character analogies belong to original writers/users. All other characters belong to Sionnach00 of and Isabelle Flores. All scenes are fictional and are not based on any real life situations without known permission from our readers. Abuse, plagiarism and/or destruction or distribution of this document may result in fines and/or punishment by law. --

Copyright 2005 Sionnach00 (Fox Britt) of All Rights Reserved

Hello. My name is Fox and this is my first attempt of writing on This is a story of what happened after the most recent of the Harry Potter books, done in my own personal RP style with my best friend Isabelle Flores. Enjoy!

**C**h**a**p**t**e**r **O**n**e

**P**h**o**e**n**i**x** F**i**r**e **A**c**a**d**e**m**y **o**f** M**a**g**i**c**

Phoenix Fire Academy of Magic was located on a small desolate island in a location that was kept secret. All the information the students had was that they were supposed to report to their proper docks and board the humongous yacht that would take them to their new school. No one had seen Phoenix Fire for it was built shortly after the infamous Hogwarts was shut down due to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's frequent attacksIt was supposed to be safer and more fortified, stronger and an all around better place to keep school. But with Dumbledore gone, was there really such a place?

Gabrielle Skylark clamored into the yacht, looking around for her best mate whom she didn't see. Sighing, the teen took a seat on one of the side benches.

"Damn. This place is so confusing," Lokelani Freimuth mumbled, almond eyes darting nervously through the crowd of jostling students. In the distance, she saw the faint glow of a familiar face. "'S'cuse me please, coming through. Brielle!"

Brielle laughed as she spotted her best friend collapse into the seat next to her, playfully tilting a brow and shifting in her own seat, half hugging her friend and half wobbling for balance as the yacht pushed off the dock.

Loki sighed once the boat had pushed off into the churning ocean. "I didn't expect to see you here! Your parents aren't worried at all about the recent...events?" she asked, the last word coming out in a hushed whisper.

"_Of course_ they're flipping out. But they say they've talked to the Ministry and this is supposed to be the best school. Hannah is being home schooled. I feel so bad..."

"Yeah, I'm still a bit stunned by that," Loki said reminiscently. A light rain began to fall, the sky openly expressive with gloom, morbid clouds scattered across a vast sea of gray. Loki glanced up and thought she saw Dumbledore's haunting face for a moment. "How was your summer, by the way? I was isolated, of course. Mum wouldn't dare let me leave the house at all."

"Same here," Brielle wrinkled her small nose and took our her wand, a lovely 11 inch Mahogany and Unicorn hair, and flicked it at the rolled up canopy above them. It snapped open obediently, flecking the two girls a and a few others students with water. "I couldn't leave without my father and I always had to apperate long distances, it was horrible." Brielle spoke casually, but there was a slight shake in her voice as the yacht churned on through the ocean.

Loki's ebony locks swished back from the sudden breeze. She glanced behind her, evidently having heard something splash in the water. She dismissed it as a fish and went back to hugging her black blazer tightly around her waist. "What do you suppose the Ministry plans to do, now that Dumbledore's gone?"

The words stabbed Brielle like the stinging darts of ocean rain and made the teen huddle back against her seat, wrapping her own arms around her self, her stylish cotton sweater doing little against the chill.

"I have no idea...I just can't believe he's gone, is all..."

"Bri...I wish we could do something besides trying to evade death for once. Have you heard the rumors...about the boy who lived...Harry Potter? He's missing. You don't think the Dark Lord's got him..." she trailed off, a trace of fear reflected in her gleaming eyes.

"Of course He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named hasn't got Harry Potter. We'd have heard. Don't say those things, you're creeping me out!" Brielle laughed, blinking away a few drops of rain from her long lashes.

"Docking in five minutes! Change into school robes now, please!"

As Loki fumbled through her carry on bag for her dark cloak, the ominous clouds began to arrive in heavier flocks. "Can't wait to see what the new school looks like," she said intent on changing the subject. In her mind she pictured yet another dreary castle with high mullioned windows, and secret towers yet to be explored by her best friend and herself.

"Well...nothing compares to Hogwarts, but I'm sure it'll be fine." Brielle's voice was unnaturally somber as she slipped into her black robes. "I wonder if they'll keep the same houses. Surely not..." Terror crept into the girl's voice. "What if we're not in the same house anymore?"

"Relax, Bri...I'm pretty sure the staff has better things to do than resort us. I mean, come on. We're seventh years!" Loki said with reassurance, though her eyes shifted nervously. As the yacht pulled up to the docks, Loki could feel her heart tremble slightly and leaped off the yacht, watching the image of the castle form before them while students in front of her began to huddle in groups.

Brielle sighed, hoping she was wrong. But they couldn't keep there same houses...they weren't at Hogwarts anymore. The brunette huddled close to her best friend and a few other lost looking students as the heads of houses started to move from the trees to gather them. The strangest thing about the island was that there was sand...and beyond the sand snow. Massive wolf-drawn carriages fashioned as sleighs began emerging from the forest as well.

The island felt eerie and haunted; it reeked of tropical essence, Loki noticed, as she adapted to this new aura. The carriages moved placidly along the grounds, and, hooking her arm to Bri's, she hurried them both into the nearest one.

Brielle shivered through her thin school robes and quickly scurried through the snow to the nearest sleigh. It was beautiful silver with wrought iron wolves hewn into the base and bars. The seats were warm and red velvet. Brielle tugged her friend in and huddled against them.

Loki carefully scrutinized the intricate designs of the sleigh. They looked faintly familiar, something she may have overlooked in her _Hogwarts, A History_ text. Moments later the carriages resumed moving with utmost perfection and grace. The trip took a little over fifteen minutes, with Loki and Bri apparently lost in their own thoughts, until Loki broke from her reverie. "Bri, look!"

Brielle stared and her mouth hung open shamelessly. Nestled into a large valley sat the oddest building she'd ever seen. It was an entire castle made from glass. Or so it seamed. The whole structure glistened like fresh ice under the sugar coating of snow. "Oh my gosh..."

Loki thought she had seen everything; the possibilities of magic were endless. Carriages finally coming to a halt, Loki practically craned her neck to see what she hoped would NOT be their home.

"Are you kidding me? We're going to freeze in there!" she hissed. They reluctantly departed the comfort of their plush seats and scrambled awkwardly into a fellow group of Gryffindors. McGonagall popped up out of nowhere, bustling and waving to everyone to get in their separate House lines.

Brielle was transfixed with the glistening castle in the distance, her eyes wide with wonder. She said dreamily, as if in a stupor, "The school's called Phoenix Fire. We'll live." McGonagall had her wand drawn but didn't look too wary of the area, which was comforting for some students. The wolves that had drawn the carriages howled once, eerily all together and then disappeared into the mist

Loki couldn't help but watch McGonagall with admiration. It was obvious that her summer hadn't exactly been a cup of tea. Hair grayer than usual, eyes still stern and determined, she stood tall with an air of someone who had just gone through hell. "As you can see, we've made some drastic changes over the summer, in order to evade...recent incriminating involvement with Hogwarts. I want to welcome you all to Phoenix Fire Academy of Magic."

Brielle gasped softly, looping her arm around her friend's and huddling closer. To hear the Professor say it...it was just so much more final. This was their new school. Hogwarts was no more. The teen blinked as McGonagall continued. "I know this is all terribly new and upsetting, but we must carry on as usual, as impossible as it may sounds. Now would you please follow me, one line. This way."

Hushed voices followed her brief speech, followed by the scuffling of footsteps. A single file line began to form automatically, Loki and Brielle practically joined on the hip as they made their way down sturdy stone steps into what Loki perceived to be the valley of death. Nevertheless, she kept an incessant watch on the perilously beautiful glacier ice castle. It disappeared when she looked at it from different angles.

"This...is weird," Brielle muttered in a hushed voice, stepping carefully down the stairway. All the students feet made soft echoing noises that seemed far too echo-esc to be normal. Professor McGonagall however, walked confidently down the steps and into a topiary garden which opened up the to courtyard of the castle. Frost covered animals carved from massive bushes turned their heads to peer at the students as they walked across the lawns.

Loki sucked in a breath when she spotted a rather large green clone of Grawp, which emitted a low growl from the side of the path. They walked on, curious expressions on their faces until they came to a secret fissure that Loki barely noticed until she was at least six feet away. She watched as McGonagall slipped through the crevice and did the same, expecting to feel the harsh sting of ice.

Brielle followed carefully, her brow cocked with wonder as the students began easily slipping into the castle, not feeling the ice in the least. Again, the teen found her mouth hung open in wonder as they stepped into a cavernous hall. It seemed to be underground, as there were thick slabs of crystal hanging from the walls in deadly looking spikes.

Ominous as the castle seemed at first sight, Loki immediately felt a sense of warmth and comfort upon entering the hall. Upon closer examination, it proved a lavish, handsomely decorated corridor, filled with antique Bargello armchairs, thick, chocolate coloured walls, and portraits of famous wizards dating back to the fifteenth century.

"Wow..." the students seemed to say in an all-together fashion. Brielle felt like her eyes were going to fall from her very head. McGonagall watched them all silently, a hint of a smile touching her lips. "Now, if you'd just follow me."

The students trailed after the professor, eager to see the new dining hall, more eager possibly, to see dinner. McGonagall stopped outside two massive heavy-wooded doors, both with a wood-burned Phoenix intricately engraved into the heavily polished wood surface. With a dramatic flourish of her wand, the professor opened the doors, revealing a magnificent dining chamber twice the size of the old hall.

As usual, four lengthily tables, each with the appropriate house's name on, were situated in neat, orderly rows. The floor was made from thick slabs of natural rose cortz laid in delicate patterns. The girls 'oooed' and 'aaahed' as the boys quietly admired the murals on the walls of old wizarding battles through the ages.

"Dinner will be served shortly. Please take a seat at your appropriate tables..."

Loki made her way towards a long plank table engraved with Gryffindor in gold letters. As she looked warily around her, she spotted lots of old faces as well as people she'd never seen before. Assuming they were from Beauxbatons, she turned to watch the traditional sorting hat ceremony take place, her stomach growling loudly. Thankfully, it didn't seem that there were many first years to sort. But why would there be? Parents wouldn't even let their children out to check the _post_, let alone anything else these days.

The Sorting Hat sang the unusually foreboding song that the students had become accustomed to and Brielle clapped, her expression wary. A the first years were sorted, Brielle clapped with numb hands for the few first years that joined their table and watched in amazement as clear plates and goblets, as well as forks and spoons looking as though made of ice, appeared in front of her full of wonderful food.

There were hams as big as breadboxes and Yorkshire puddings. Roasted potatoes smothered with thick slabs of butter, pumpkin juice, trestle tarts and lovely bowls of steaming stews. Brielle felt her stomach clamor for attention.

"Brilliant," Loki murmured with gusto as she jabbed her spoon into the mountain of mashed potatoes. Her heart lightened as she ruefully tried the variety of cheesecakes and pies displayed on the enormous shiny platters. "Mm. You've got' o' try this," she said in between mouthfuls, shoving a saucer of Danish cheesecake towards Brielle.

_Brielle was no less shy with her eating, not realizing how hungry she really was. She mounded steak and kidney pie on her plate, taking hearty bitefuls. Across the table, Lavender Brown was giving them scorning looks as she delicately nibbled on a piece of ham._

"Oh. Sorry about that," Loki said apologetically, apparently realizing they'd been hogging most of the desserts. She hastily slid a small plate of cornbread towards Lavender and continued to devour the rest of her dinner. When they finally finished a few good minutes later, McGonagall stood up, her expression not something easily read. She didn't really know how to start.

"I'm sure you all know, I'm sorry to report, that our previous headmaster, Albus Dumbledore..."


End file.
